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In 1988—twenty years after Woodstock—Seattle filmmaker Kevin Tomlinson asked himself that question. What he discovered back then, through in-depth interviews at a healing gathering which drew almost 500 people, was that small counterculture communities of sixties dropouts were intact and surviving in the back country.

In fact, they were thriving in the eighties, living off the rich, rural land of Washington state and refining sixties “hippie” concepts—completely independent of a culture that had all but forgotten and marginalized them.

His footage sat untouched for 20 years. In 2008, Tomlinson revived these old tapes and he was deeply moved. What these outsiders were talking about in the eighties: sustainability, simplicity, family, love for the earth, self-reliance, and community responsibility—seemed to be blossoming with incredible force, 20 years later, into the mainstream.

He decided to seek out his subjects again. The intimate and personal journey that followed offers profound, moving insights into one of the most iconic social movements of our time—and speaks to all of us. The pioneering lifestyles of these aging hippies and their now-thriving families, firmly insulated from global economic shocks, today looks wiser than ever.

CREDITS:
Director:   Kevin Tomlinson
Producer: Judy Kaplan & Kevin Tomlinson
Format:  4:3, NTSC
Region: Region 0 (all regions)
Number of discs: 1
DVD Release Date: 2009
Run Time: in minutes  70 and 57:45

AWARDS:
Winner: Best Documentary, Tacoma Film Festival, Rainer Independent film festival
Winner: Best of Washington Award, Ellensburg Film Festival
Runner Up:  Audience Award, Bend Film Festival
Nominee:  Golden Strawberry Award, Dutch Environmental Film Festival (Amsterdam)
Nominee: Best Environmental Film, Byron Bay International Film Festival (Australia)
Nominee: Best Cinematography, Duke City Documentary Film Festival (Albuquerque)

Official Selection:
Seattle International Film Festival, Wild and Scenic Environmental film festival,
San Francisco Green ff, Berlin Globians Documentary film festival, Tel Aviv Spirit film festival,
Barcelona International Environmental ff, Santa Fe film festival, Maui international film festival,
Sarajevo Environmental film festival, Vancouver International film festival, European Spiritual
film festival (Paris), EcoCinema film festival (Jerusalem) and more....

REVIEWS
“Back to the Garden” shows us that the continuum of Sixties’ ideals are STILL ALIVE… The beat goes on!”
Wavy Gravy, Humanitarian, peace activist, Hippie Icon

“If you like natural, organic food...thank a hippie. If you use alternative medicine, Acupuncture and Massage...thank a hippie. If you’re into eastern spirituality, Yoga, Meditation, Buddhism, the Dalai Lama...thank a hippie. Do you want to save the earth for future generations? Have you had enough of war and consumerism? Thank a hippie for starting the conversation. My wife and I loved “Back to the Garden...”
Mark Rudd, Anti-war activist and writer

“A vindication of flower power idealism. It reminds us of the enduring values of simplicity and self-reliance. A Flat out Wonderful film!”
Rick Steves, Travel writer and PBS TV/radio host